Thursday, January 8, 2009

Selling Digital Photographs Online

With digital camera prices falling just about everyday, most anyone can afford to buy one or two.And for aspiring photographers, there is a desire to have the latest and greatest photo equipment.  And increasingly, these amateurs have taken to selling their digital works on the internet. This is an easy way to earn some extra money from home doing what you love.  You could make several hundred dollars a month with just the right photo.  Here are some tips on how to sell photographs

Selling photographs online means that there is less of an overhead, and potentially more exposure.  But before a picture can be sold, there are several criteria a buyer would look for:  sharp pictures with clear details; high-resolution (multi-megapixel) upwards of 10 megapixel; not grainy and without any artifacts; and if possible, in TIFF format and not JPEG;  and the picture has to be interesting and unique.There are only so many nature photos that people want to buy.

The pictures can be sold online as prints.  The buyer can choose which sizes and which print media he wants, and once printed, this is delivered to his doorstep.  This is usually the case for collectibles, like posters, or fan art, etc.There are several reputable online sites like cafepress, dreamstime and shutterstock that help you with this.  These are some of the best places to sell photographs.

On the other hand, those with established websites sell picture compilations.  These compilations are on CDs, or even on DVDs.  They may not have the same high resolution as prints, however, the pictures in the disk might be of multiple copies of the same pictures but different sizes, for different PC screen resolutions.  The disks are ordered and sent via courier or post to the buyers address.

For stock photography, there are additional requirements in order for a picture to sell.  These should be generic, concept pictures which depict an idea, concept or a story; or travel pictures for tourist destinations or attractions.

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